Sunday, July 20, 2014

Loretta is staying with us for a few days before she heads for a month in Brazil and then goes back to Alabama. So, today we all went for a little ramble along the Pere Marquette River, starting at the Maple Leaf Access.

Let me just say that I'm not calling it a walk, because it was a little rougher than I realized. I think the bank has eroded and made the trail less stable than when I was last there. It's not an official trail, just one made by anglers. This led to some challenging scrambles, but no one complained too much, except about the hefty mosquito population.

There were tons of wildflowers in bloom. Some I'd never gotten pictures of before. I do have other pictures of this, but it's such an awesome flower, I have to share it. This is Michigan Lily, Lilium michiganense, obviously enough!

This next picture isn't even a good picture, but it fulfills a longtime goal of mine. I finally got a picture of a kingfisher! Now I'll have to work at getting a better shot, but for now, I'm really happy to get even this. They are so nervous they stay out of range.

Nothing unusual about these Brown-eyed Susans, Rudbeckia hirta. Heck, a lot of you may have them in your gardens. But I like the way they look against the water.

Finally, just a nice shot of a bend in the river. This is one of my favorite picture-taking spots. If you follow the link below, you can see it in April.

There may be more flower pictures ahead this week unless something else grabs my attention! It's all about whatever brings me joy for the day.

I enjoyed the walk along the river. I've been so ill the last few days with a summer cold my darling granddaughter bestowed on me, right when I need to be packing for India. I am so far behind, I hope I make that flight on Wednesday. No nice river strolls for me...though the Sacramento River is just a mile from me...not pretty scenery like you have.